


The LiTs Go Clubbing

by Adapted_Batteries



Series: Land Pirate AU [2]
Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Clubbing, Magic, Multi, because I can't just write fluff apparently, fluff and plot, land pirate au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 04:55:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10564050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adapted_Batteries/pseuds/Adapted_Batteries
Summary: A mission leads the trio to a club in NYC, where Stone gets to rescue both of his co-workers, and possibly save most of Manhattan from being sucked into a void.Teen rating is only for a bit of language.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is set in the Land Pirates AU that my other story [“You Sultry Land Pirates Ruined My Dig!”](https://http://archiveofourown.org/works/9412118/chapters/21307292) is set in. This story may make more sense if you’ve read that beforehand in terms of previous interactions and such.
> 
> Edit on October 14th, 2017:  
> I realize that I never explained how they got to the Portland Annex or how they met Jenkins, so I added a bit in to kind of fix that. To clarify, in this universe, Flynn actually knows about Jenkins and the Annex already, so Jenkins shared the backdoor technology years ago with him (I'm not sure why he didn't know about Jenkins in the show, kind of odd he didn't know after 10 years). The Portland Annex is the LiT's and Eve's main base of operations, while Flynn works back in New York City, but he's only a door away to get to their Annex.

Just three weeks after Dr. Stone, Ezekiel, and Cassandra received their invitations, they found themselves off on a mission, this time without Colonel Baird to guide them. She had been training the trio to be Librarians like Flynn, with the help of Jenkins in the Portland Annex, where Flynn had booted them to for training. Of course said Librarian was off chasing down some lead on Dulaque hopefully, and had dragged Colonel Baird with him. 

Dulaque was a sore subject for the two land pirates. Ezekiel and Cassandra had been hired by him to take the book of Serhem from Dr. Stone’s excavation. At the time they didn’t know any better, but since their enlightenment to the world of magic, and consequently Dulaque’s troubling gathering of magic artifacts, both felt guilty for working with the man. 

Today, thankfully, the clippings book sent them on an unrelated mission to New York City. Apparently some “strange happenings” had been going on near a specific set of blocks, and after Cassandra’s mental mapping of locations, in a pentagram-like pattern around a particular building that housed a club on the first floor and basement. After spending a day investigating the various sites of the magical incidents (namely people disappearing or things appearing in puffs of purple-black smoke) the Librarians-in-Training (or LiTs as Flynn liked to call them) decided a visit to the club that night was in order. 

Ezekiel and Cassandra were well-equipped wardrobe wise to go clubbing, however Dr. Stone walked into the main room of the Annex looking like he was about to visit a country bar in rural Oklahoma. “Seriously? A cowboy in NYC, that won’t stick out one bit,” Ezekiel scoffed, leaning against the table while he waited. He had on a pair of low cut black boots, slim, black pants, a blue and yellow plaid sports jacket over a striped shirt, and a mustard colored ascot with a broach to tie it all together. 

“Hey, I don’t have all the new ‘threads’ in my closet like you two do,” Stone retorted, looking down at his maroon and tan plaid shirt and dark blue jean combo self-consciously. “I think my outfit is just fine, thank you very much.” Stone was secretly glad he decided to leave his black stetson in his truck. 

“You don’t get out much, do you Mr. Stone,” a booming voice said behind the cowboy, making him jump slightly. Jenkins had just walked through the same door Stone had moments before, a worn book in hand. “Unfortunately with this one, I have to agree with Mr. Jones. In a New York club, you will stick out like an ent would walking down the street.” Ezekiel’s eyebrows arched for a moment. 

“Really? That’s the analogy you go for?” Stone replied, annoyed. “And how do you know what’s in to wear?” 

“I may not be up to date in this century’s fashion, but I do know that clubs haven’t changed that much since I last went,” Jenkins explained. 

“Jenkins...clubbing...I just can’t picture that,” Ezekiel chuckled. 

“I’ve not been in the Annex for that long, Mr. Jones,” Jenkins replied coolly, looking down at him for effect. “I’ll have you know I frequented the Cotton Club, among other places.” 

“Pretty sure the club we’re goin’ to isn’t gonna be like the Cotton Club,” Stone said, stifling a laugh from the thought of Jenkins clubbing. Jenkins narrowed his eyes at Stone like he knew what the cowboy was thinking, so Stone looked back down at his clothes. “It’s not like I’ve got anythin’ else to wear anyway,” he mumbled. Jenkins shook his head while rolling his eyes, then continued to his desk. 

“Mate, you’re in a magical library. I’m sure we can find something more...modern,” Ezekiel laughed, amused by Jenkins’s expression. 

“Oh boy,” Cassandra’s voice rang through the Annex. Both men looked to the door as she walked through. She had on some high-heeled, leather boots that went just over her ankles, black leather-like leggings to match, a dark blue pea coat with gold hemmed edges, and a white scarf with a different broach than Ezekiel’s. “A trip to the costume room, before we go?” She nodded to Ezekiel, then turned back on herself to go to said room. 

“Ya’ll know how to make a man feel inadequately dressed,” Stone mumbled as he followed her out. 

“At least we actually help you fix it too,” Ezekiel replied, play-elbowing Stone in the side as they walked behind Cassandra. 

  


Twenty minutes and a few outfits later, the trio returned to the main room in the Annex with a freshly made-over Stone. Cassandra had found a black sleeveless jacket and a grey waistcoat, Ezekiel found a navy undershirt that tastefully highlighted Stone’s biceps, and a leather chest strap thing that he insisted looked “cool” over the waistcoat, and Stone, feeling left out in the neck department, found a navy and dark blue dotted scarf with a little black broach on it. They let him keep his dark jeans and tan workman boots, now that he wasn’t a flaming cowboy. 

Jenkins glanced up from another book he’d acquired while they were busy. “Much better,” he commented. He grabbed a piece of paper and stuck it in the book to keep his place while he dialed up the backdoor for them again. “Now don’t have too much fun while doing your reconnaissance,” Jenkins added. 

“Yeah yeah, we know,” Ezekiel said, dramatically looking up at the ceiling. “Hurry up and open the backdoor already.” Jenkins huffed, but within seconds the magical blue glow seeped around the doors. 

“Call when you’re ready to come back. It should open in the same place, hopefully,” Jenkins said, holding the door open for them. Without hesitation, Ezekiel lept through the door; Cassandra and Stone looked at each other like mildly exasperated parents before doing the same. 

It was around ten at night, but the street itself was lit as bright as day from various neon signs and street lights. They were down in Greenwich Village, on a Friday night, so many people were wandering from bar to club to food or other places that young people go on Friday night. 

“Alright, Club 10 should be just around the corner,” Cassandra stated, pointing towards a group of people going the same direction. 

“What an original name,” Stone remarked sarcastically as they started walking. 

“It's at least accurate, considering it's on 10th street,” Cassandra replied. Stone just shrugged in response. “So what do you think we should be looking for in there?” 

“I dunno, anything magical,” Ezekiel answered distractedly as he looked around them. 

“Gee, I hadn't thought of that,” Stone smirked. “I’d look for any sigils, repeating patterns, runes, et cetera. The magic seems to be more European than anything else.” 

“I’ll be sure to check the bar,” Ezekiel quipped, jumping back into the conversation. 

“Actually that’s not a bad idea,” Cassandra started. Both men looked at her, confused. “I mean that would be the best place to hide potions in plain sight, or use them on people.” 

“With that in mind, it’d be best to not drink anythin’,” Stone added, eyeing Ezekiel. 

Ezekiel sighed dramatically and stomped a foot. “You guys are no fun, I swear.” 

“If ya want to drink something that may turn ya into, oh I dunno, a stone statue or magically dissolve your insides, be my guest,” Stone replied with shrug. “Though if ya find something like that, I bet Jenkins would like it if ya brought it back to him.” 

As the trio rounded the corner, they saw a fairly good sized crowd filling the sidewalk outside a brick building adorned with a simple white neon sign that said “CLUB 10” in blocky print. A bouncer stood a couple feet above the crowd on a concrete platform leading to the entrance, frowning at no one in particular. People filed in regularly, suggesting there wasn’t much of a wait to get in. A driving bass line and synths escaped through the opening door, but all evidence that a club was housed inside the brick walls disappeared once the simple looking glass door shut. 

“Ugh, lines,” Ezekiel said as they neared the mass of people. “I bet there’s a backdoor somewhere.” 

“Or we could just wait, like normal people,” Stone retorted. “Course a thief like you probably wouldn’t understand that concept.” 

Ezekiel narrowed his eyes at Stone. “Mate, you can’t steal anything _good_ if you don’t have patience.” He glanced up at the slowly moving queue, scrutinizing the people like he was a king looking down on peasants. “A thief knows when it’s worth it to wait.” He then looked back to Stone with a mischievous look in his eyes and a smile on his face. Stone countered with a scowl of his own, knowing Ezekiel was planning something. Remembering Cassandra, Ezekiel glanced at her, getting a look that told him it was pointless. “This time, we wait,” he said, surrendering with a sigh. 

Much to Ezekiel’s approval, they only spent about ten minutes waiting before they got their chance to enter. Though the building looked old, the walls seemed to be totally sound proof, as the bass unexpectedly hit them. The atmosphere was characteristically “clubby”: various colored lights flicking around an open space, a dj booth towards the front, dimmed lighting with somewhat comfortable looking seating against the walls, a bar to the right set into the wall. The crowd mainly clustered towards the dancefloor, but a fair few people dispersed around the edges, and some entered and exited two glass double doors on the left, wisps of smoke puffing out when they opened. 

Stone was going to tell the other two he thought they should split up, but of course Ezekiel was already gone. He gave Cassandra the ever frequent look of “Why does he have to do that?” to which she responded with the only answer anyone ever did: a shrug of the shoulders and a small, pitying not-quite smile. Not feeling like yelling over the music, he simply pointed opposite directions with his thumbs, and Cassandra nodded back, then strode towards the mass of people. He thought he saw a glimpse of Ezekiel’s head over by the bar, so Stone decided to cover the left side of the room, and whatever lay behind the double doors. 

Following the wall, Stone found nothing unusual about the rather plain decor. No hidden runes, no magical circles in the floor, nothing that would suggest magical happenings going on in this building. It looked just like a club, nothing else, except for the tinted double doors. Though he may not be familiar with club layouts, he didn’t think many regularly had smoke emitting basements. Going down the L-shaped steps that lay just behind the doors, he guessed correctly that it was a sort of designated smoking room, though he smelt more than just tobacco and weed smoke. If anything there were floral notes, herbal even, like someone was also burning a variety of incense too. 

It was just as dark as the floor above, but there were no strobe lights to give extra light. Unlike outside, the bass thudded through the ceiling, mingled with the low murmur of the twenty or so people talking amongst themselves as they sat on various couches, chairs, and the rug covered floor. A little bar sat in the corner nearest the stairs, selling overpriced cigars and such, staffed by a bored looking attendant. He skirted the room, sticking to the old wood-paneled walls, trying to get the layout, but he knew for a fact this room was only half as deep as the floor above, something that wouldn’t be very unusual for a basement if it hadn’t been for the door hidden behind some fake plants where the rest of the room should be. 

Deciding that the others should know about the mystery door, Stone returned back to the main floor. Instinct took him to the bar, where he found Cassandra talking to a girl fairly intently at one of the couch and coffee tables nearby and Ezekiel being chatted up by some guy with gelled up hair at the bar. He hadn’t known Ezekiel for long, but he could tell Ezekiel didn’t care for this guy’s advances. Stone couldn’t see the stranger’s face, but Ezekiel was having a hard time hiding his discomfort with weak chuckles and eyes darting to and fro. It wasn’t long before that darting zeroed in on Stone, eyebrows moving up ever so slightly and eyes widened. The stranger said something that got Ezekiel to look back at him, but Stone was already on the move. 

The somewhat muscly white guy didn’t seem to have volume control anymore; Stone could hear what he was saying even though he was still ten feet away. “So like, I waz thinkin’, m’place izn’t far, maybe we cou’ ditch thiz dump,” the stranger slurred, sloppily grabbing at Ezekiel’s shoulder like he aimed too far over. Ezekiel shrugged it off and mumbled something Stone couldn’t hear, which apparently pissed off the drunk dude as his grip returned tighter to Ezekiel’s arm. “Hey, I bought you a drink babe, leazt ya can do iz come wi’ me.” 

“Hey, Ezekiel, I’ve been lookin’ all over for you man!” Stone butted in, purposely bumping into the stranger’s outstretched arm so he could be as in between the two as he could without being super obvious. It worked enough to make the drunk drop his grasp as he looked over Stone. 

“Oh, hey Stone,” Ezekiel said faux nonchalantly, a hint of relief slipping out. 

“Hey, I got here firzt, I get dibz,” the guy said, narrowing his eyes at Stone before standing up from where he’d been slouching against the bartop. Stone could still take him on, no problem, but now the guy went from maybe an inch taller than him to a good half a foot at least. “Beat it before I beat you.” 

“Well that’s funny ya think you got ‘dibs’,” Stone started, doing air quotes, “‘cos this one here is _mine_.” He saw Ezekiel’s eyes widen slightly at the statement, and apparently so did the dude. 

“I don’t believe you. Yur just tryna take ‘im from me,” the drunk snarled, forcefully shoving himself against Stone to move him out of the way. Stone stumbled back a bit, not expecting the drunk to assault him, but quickly returned the hip check. That brought him more room than he’d lost as the drunk stumbled back towards the counter for support, his legs not quite getting the whole “standing up” thing. 

“Be forceful all ya want, but like I said, he’s mine, and some drunk kid ain’t gonna take him from me,” Stone replied, almost growling the last bit of his statement. The drunk was already back on his feet, about to get rid of Stone once and for all, so Stone wrapped his arm around Ezekiel’s waist and in a mild panic, kissed him as soon as Ezekiel looked at him in reaction to the arm. 

Stone wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, but the two pulled apart as they heard the drunk slur out “fuck you,” and watched him stagger off towards the mass of people on the dancefloor. 

“I, uh, I think he’s gone,” Ezekiel stuttered. Stone remembered he was still holding on to him and that their faces were _very_ close, so he released his grip and put a good few feet in between them. 

“You alright?” Stone asked, watching Ezekiel carefully. 

“Yeah. It’s not the first time I’ve had to deal with those types of people before,” Ezekiel answered, brushing it off like he totally had it under control. Stone decided not to patronize him about it. “He actually gave me some info, before he decided to show me he couldn’t hold his tequila worth shit.” 

“Wait you drank something?” Stone interjected, eyes widening in concern. 

“I’m not that stupid, Stone, God,” Ezekiel retorted, back to his normal self. “The floor is probably gonna be sticky in the morning, but Piss-Brain wasn’t exactly paying attention at all.” 

Stone literally sighed with relief, earning a curious look from Ezekiel. “Ok, so what info did he give you?” Stone asked, hoping something good came out of Ezekiel’s suffering. 

“There’s been word on NYU campus that some students were in a cult, somewhere in this area,” Ezekiel said, moving his arms around like he was trying to make a semicircle in front of himself. “And apparently the weird magic things started up just as those rumors started going around the school.” 

“Well that makes what I found more fun then,” Stone started, leaning closer to Ezekiel so no one would hear. “Half the basement is behind a rather poorly hidden door.” 

“That can’t be a coincidence,” Ezekiel said. 

“I’ve got the bad feeling it’s not,” Stone added. “If we’re gonna find what’s causing it all, it’ll be behind that door.” 

“We need to find Cassandra and check it out,” Ezekiel began, searching the vicinity for her. “Well shit.” 

“What?” Stone asked, turning on his heels to see what got Ezekiel’s attention. Sure enough, the asshole from a few minutes ago had invaded where Stone had seen Cassandra before. The other girl was nowhere to be seen, and Cassandra was quite obviously sliding down the small couch away from him, quickly running out of space. “Well I guess I do get to punch someone tonight,” Stone huffed, rolling his neck and moving his shoulders like a boxer. 

Ezekiel grabbed his arm before Stone could charge over to them, spinning the cowboy in disguise around to face him. “Wait, if you make a scene you’ll get thrown out,” he said, eyes pleading, a look Stone hadn’t seen before. 

That look took a mere three seconds before it broke Stone’s anger. “Alright. I’ll handle it civilly,” he relented. “Go downstairs and check out the far wall, where a cluster of fake plants are. No one will pay you any mind down there. I’ll bring Cassandra down in a couple minutes.” 

“Please, don’t make a scene,” Ezekiel said. 

“I promise I won’t, don’t worry,” Stone chuckled, amused by Ezekiel’s concern. Noticing a pressure that had been there for awhile now, Stone glanced down at Ezekiel’s hand wrapped around the middle of his forearm. “Though I can’t do anything if you don’t let me go…” 

“Oh, sorry. Alright, door badly hidden, got it. Was it locked?” Ezekiel asked, quickly changing the subject. 

“I don’t know, I didn’t try it while I was there incase it was trapped or something,” Stone replied. “I figured you could best handle that.” 

“Right, I am the best,” Ezekiel smirked, even adding a wink, before making his way to the double doors. 

Cassandra seemed to be holding up better than Ezekiel had looked, however she also looked like she was seconds away from slapping the idiot. Just as before, Stone swooped in, grabbing the hand about to make a speedy connection with the drunk’s face and pulling her up to him. “Hi Cassie,” Stone drawled, trying to sound as infatuated as he could. “This punk givin’ you trouble?” 

“You again!” The drunk yelled, but his yell didn’t get over the din of the club. He stood up to attempt to intimidate Stone again. “Now I know yur fakin’. Where’z th’ twink, I liked ‘im better anyway.” 

“Where he went is none of your damn business,” Stone replied coolly, still holding onto Cassandra. 

“Hid ‘im frm me, did ya? Well she’ll work too,” the drunk said, taking a step towards them. “If you’d been nice ta me, I wuld’ve invited ya too.” 

“Nope,” Stone started, pulling Cassandra with him a couple feet back, making the dude stumble forward where he thought he was going to grab her. “She’s mine too.” 

“If he’z yurz, Sh’ can’t b’ yurz too,” the drunk reasoned out loud. “Go on, kiss hur thn if she’z actully yurz.” 

Stone did exactly as the drunk demanded. Cassandra didn’t seem near as shocked as Ezekiel had been, and in fact she pulled away first to play her part. “Have you never heard of polyamory before?” she asked, voice dripping with venomous sweetness as she stuck to Stone’s side. 

“You people are sick!” the drunk yelled yet again, this time backing away from Stone and Cassandra like they were diseased animals. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t remember that there was a coffee table behind him, and took a rather ungraceful trip to the floor. 

“Serves ya right,” Stone laughed, turning himself and Cassandra to meet up with Ezekiel. It was easy enough for them to disperse into the crowd and leave the drunk half awake on the floor. “There’s a secret door down below, probably where we’re looking for,” he whispered into Cassandra’s ear while they navigated through the stuffy room. 

“What was the whole 'he’s yours' thing about?” Cassandra asked, curiosity getting the best of her. 

“I had to rescue Ezekiel from that asshole,” Stone replied, shouldering his way past some people. 

“I assume you probably did the same thing as you did for me?” Cassandra asked, piecing it together based on the drunk’s reaction. 

“More or less, yeah,” Stone answered. “I was gonna just punch him for you but Ezekiel practically begged me not to make a scene.” Cassandra looked at him, waiting for him to explain why he suddenly listened to Ezekiel. “That boy has puppy dog eyes and he knows how to use them,” Stone added, trying to explain himself. 

“He normally uses them on...sources of information…” she said, hoping Stone would get what she was saying. 

“So he manipulated me?” Stone asked as they neared the glass doors. 

“Well I can’t say that for certain, since there’s those eyes and then there’s Ezekiel being real with you eyes too, and he could’ve been concerned about what would happen to you if you got in a fight, soo…” Cassandra started, backpedaling. 

“We can talk later,” Stone said, grabbing the glass door and opening it for her. “He can explain himself then.” 

Like before, a wave of smokes greeted them as they descended the stairs. He saw Cassandra wrinkle her nose a bit out of the corner of his eye, but for the most part she walked calmly, taking in as much of the surroundings as she could with her eyes and ears. Only a few less buzzed people and the attendant glanced boredly in their direction, but most people still kept to themselves. 

“Why do I smell sage burning?” Cassandra asked, leaning towards Stone to whisper. 

“I gotta feeling it’s coming from behind the door, ‘cos there’s no incense burners in here that I could find,” Stone answered, scanning the room for Ezekiel. “But the sage is new, it smelt more like lavender before.” The dim light didn’t help at all; anyone not standing near a lamp or low overhead light were silhouettes more than distinguishable faces. He figured Ezekiel would be watching for them wherever he was, so he gently tugged Cassandra by elbow towards the most direct route to the back of the room. 

A shape leaned against the wall next to the door, arm bringing a hand to a face. A faint glow flared as the person inhaled, then the hand returned to near the hip as they breathed out a cloud of smoke. Stone wasn’t sure how he was going to get this person away from the door so they could get in, however person didn’t let him have time to think up a plan. 

“Took you long enough,” Ezekiel said, stepping into the light in a rather dramatic fashion. He took one last draw from the stump of a cigarette before leaning over to a nearby table and sticking it in the bowl of sand. “I almost had to start another one.” 

“You smoke?” Stone asked, keeping his voice quiet. 

“Only when I need to, like now,” Ezekiel replied with a shrug. “The door’s not locked or trapped that I can tell.” 

“So how are we going to get in without people noticing?” Cassandra asked, glancing around the room. 

“Easy, I just need to disable the lights in here for a bit, let them clear out, then viola, no one’s in the room to see us sneak in,” Ezekiel explained. 

“Ok, how are ya gonna do that?” Stone asked. 

“Lucky for us they’ve got an alarm setup I’ve hacked numerous times before, so I can set off the fire alarm in a few seconds,” Ezekiel explained, waving his phone for effect. “It will most likely get the fire department though, even if I can successfully block the signal, and there’s a chance management does like they’re supposed to and call the alarm company.” 

“Sounds like we gotta work fast, disabling or preferably taking whatever’s behind that door,” Stone concluded, glancing around the room for himself. No one seemed to be paying any attention to the trio at all. “I say go for it.” 

“Ok just give me a minute to bypass the trigger for the emergency lighting, ‘cos that won’t help...alright let's hope that block holds...and,” Ezekiel pressed a button on the screen and within a few seconds, and alarm blared overhead. 

“Dammit the lights didn’t turn on, ugh, Alright everyone needs to go upstairs immediately, follow the crowd,” the attendant yelled over the alarm, annoyance filling his voice. The crowd, though slowly and with reluctance, got up as he instructed, filling up the stairs in a not particularly rushed fashion. While the crowd hid them and occupied the sole employee, the trio quickly moved all the plants out of the way, revealing a simple wooden door that matched the panelling around it. 

Ezekiel reached for the doorknob first not bothering to open it quietly. Sure enough it swung open easily, revealing the rest of the room with unfinished walls and a concrete floor, a few electric lamps dotted about, and most disconcertingly, a large circle on the floor with things sitting in what looked to be specific places with a startled group of five or so college-age looking people standing around it. 

“Y...you’re not supposed to be here,” the one nearest them stammered. He looked fresh out of high school, still not quite grown into his body, and he wore an obnoxious looking dark robe that was several inches too big in all directions. He also held a notebook with scribbled handwriting all over it. 

“Yeah? Well you’re not supposed to be doing magic!” Stone shouted, getting his desired effect of startling the kids more, except for one, who seemed annoyed more than anything. Her robe fit her better, and she looked like she knew exactly what she was doing, or wanted to do anyway. 

“Brett it doesn’t matter, just finish the ritual!” she shouted at the lanky boy, who frantically looked back at her, then at the intruders, then to his notebook. 

Stone was moving before he even finished the first word. “Oh no you don’t!” he roared, closing the space between himself and Brett faster than he anticipated. This also meant that instead of merely grappling the boy, Stone sent the boy flying to the ground and about gave himself the same fate. The kid, very much afraid of the wall of man that just tried to flatten him, tried to scurry back into the circle and away from Stone, smudging some of the runes. The kid wasn’t paying attention to holding onto the notebook either, letting Stone easily pluck it out of his hands. “Collect whatever they’ve got here,” Stone commanded, turning his head slightly to Ezekiel and Cassandra behind him. 

“What is this stuff?” Ezekiel asked as he neared the kids, who all backed away from him slightly like they were afraid he’d do the same thing Stone had. 

“Well, if I’m reading this scrawl right, I’d say it’s Latin, and the circle’s probably something out of a 16th century Germanic folklore book,” Stone answered, squinting down at the notebook. 

“You can’t do this!” The girl from before shouted, trying to be more intimidating than she probably felt. 

“I’m sure as hell not gonna let you suck up the people in this building into wherever people and things have been coming and going,” Stone retorted, narrowing his eyes at her. “Do you even know what you’re dabbling with?” 

“Actually yes I do,” she replied, putting her hands on her hips defiantly. 

“If you actually knew you wouldn’t be messin’ around with this stuff,” Stone said. The girl had a quick eye conversation with Brett, who cowered next to her. Then without warning, the kids shot towards the back of the room, pushing a panel aside that revealed stairs that probably exited outside in the alleyway behind the building. Ezekiel started giving chase but Stone called him off. “Let ‘em go, I’ve got their spell book and based on the wear, is the only resource they had for information.” 

“Are you sure?” Cassandra asked, peeking over his shoulder at the notebook, arms holding a few snuffed candles, a foot of some animal, and some bundles of herbs partially blackened. 

“If anything, we’ve put a halt to their activities for a few days at least,” Stone responded, glancing around the room. “Take a picture of that circle, I’m sure Jenkins will want to see it.” 

“Already on it,” Ezekiel said, holding his phone above himself to get the whole circle in the picture. 

“You wouldn’t happen to have found anything else useful at the bar, did you?” Stone asked as he looked around the edges of the room for anything else the kids may have left behind. 

“If by useful you mean this,” Ezekiel started, pulling a small, dark rectangular bottle out from his coat’s inner pocket, “then yes, I did. I noticed the bartender giving it to people who asked for a drink called “forget-me-not” and decided to nick it after I saw someone drink it and suddenly...well...change demeanor way quicker than alcohol ever could.” 

“They probably have more things up there,” Cassandra suggested, walking towards the door. She leaned against it, listened for a moment, then abruptly stood up straight and pointed towards where the kids ran. “People coming, we gotta leave now!” she said in a hushed whisper. With quick nods of understanding, the men followed Cassandra into the staircase. Stone grabbed the discretely hinged board and pulled it closed behind them, but stopped to listen to the voices that echoed off the concrete. 

“See I told you someone was snooping around here, Carl was right when he texted you about the people hovering by the door before the alarm went off,” a voice said, sounding uncomfortably familiar to Stone. Ezekiel poked him in the shoulder to get him moving, but Stone waved him off, still listening. “I bet you it was the same guy who was fucking with my game earlier.” 

At that bit of information, Stone glanced at the two with wide eyes. “Drunk guy from tonight is in on the magic, and not actually drunk,” he whispered, leaning back towards the door. 

A new voice talked now, this one sounding like a lady. “I’m sure Freisha got them all out before whoever it was could get them. She’s my apprentice for a reason. Go on and occupy the firemen while I shroud the door so they don’t go snooping where they shouldn’t.” The man mumbled something and Stone heard footsteps and the door shut. 

“Ok, they left, let’s go,” Stone said, turning around and ushering the two up the stairs. Sure enough, the stairs brought them to a slanted door that opened into the alleyway, which thankfully was empty. To the left, red and blue lights reflected off buildings, making weird shadows. 

“We can go the long way to get back to the backdoor’s last location,” Cassandra said, shifting the things in her arms. Stone realized he only had the notebook so he grabbed the candles from her to lighten the load. 

“I’ll call Jenkins and let him know we’re ready,” Ezekiel said, pulling out his phone and typing on it. 

Fortunately for the LiTs, the firemen had no desire to look in the alley, so they easily put distance between them and Club 10. Stone caught them up with what he heard while they walked to the location they originally arrived in NYC. The backdoor mostly stayed there, only moving a couple doors south of where it had been. 

“I assumed you would be longer,” Jenkins greeted them as they stumbled into the Annex. 

“We kind of had to leave before some crazy witch found us,” Ezekiel said casually, pulling out the bottle and ignoring Jenkins’s look of confusion. “I think this is a potion that does something.” 

“What an astute observation,” Jenkins quipped, before turning to Stone and Cassandra who had dumped their items on the table. “So what exactly did you find?” 

“I thought it was kids messing around with magic, but I think someone’s teaching them...though poorly,” Stone said, handing Jenkins the notebook. “The stuff in here is hastily compiled, like they were taking notes from someone, and I think their teacher about found us.” 

“This teacher I take is the ‘crazy witch’ Mr. Jones referenced?” Jenkins clarified, flipping through the notebook. 

“Yeah, and one of her goons may have gotten on our trail,” Stone mumbled, glancing at the other two LiTs. 

Suddenly Jenkins’s eyebrows furrowed, his expression almost grave. “Did you see the lady?” 

“Uh, no, I only heard her,” Stone answered, glancing towards Cassandra. “Who were you talking about before Asshole came over?” 

“Um, I’m not sure, she just told me about what had been going on in the club, the rumors,” she started, thinking hard. “Nothing about her struck me as ‘magic’ or anything, and she didn’t sound the same as the lady I heard before we hid in the stairway.” 

“Based on this,” Jenkins held the notebook up and pointed to a series of notes, “I have reason to believe this may be Morgan le Fey.” 

“Morgan...le Fey...like Arthurian legends?” Stone asked, hoping he was wrong. 

“Yes. Which could be very, very bad,” Jenkins confirmed, setting the notebook down on the table. 

“Wait, how do you know it’s her?” Ezekiel asked, looking down at the notes. 

“When it comes to old magic, such as hers, there are things that get...invented, or discovered, by those with great skill. Now as people use it, the wording or techniques change, and especially over a thousand years, the originals don’t exist in their pure form anymore. However, this method of summoning,” Jenkins paused, pointing at the passage, “that is something Morgan developed a _long_ time ago.” 

“Ok, but she wasn’t doing the magic, she couldn’t have been, unless she got sloppy,” Ezekiel thought aloud. 

“I don’t think she was, I mean those kids were about to do something before we burst in the room,” Stone said. 

“So she’s training kids, but for what?” Cassandra asked. 

“What indeed,” Jenkins hummed. He grabbed the bottle of potion Ezekiel had set down on the table. “Was this the only bottle there?” 

“It was the only bottle the bartender used regularly, that I didn’t recognize, and that made people act different,” Ezekiel answered. “I would’ve liked to hit the bar before we left, but our hasty exit didn’t exactly allow for it.” 

“And what exactly do you mean by ‘different?’” Jenkins asked, looking at the bottle intently, slightly swishing the liquid inside. 

“Uh, well, they seemed almost like glowy, like after they drank they were more, I dunno, important or something,” Ezekiel attempted to explain. 

“More prominent in your field of vision, perhaps?” Jenkins suggested. 

“Yeah, I guess,” Ezekiel confirmed. “Why would people want to drink that?” 

“Well, as their clever name suggests, the potion is meant to make a person be more memorable, or unforgettable, presumably to get laid or whatever you kids do nowdays,” Jenkins explained with a roll of his eyes. “It used to be something struggling dukes or brash princes would buy to enhance their reputation artificially.” 

“So we not only have potentially dangerous rituals to deal with and a legendary sorceress, but potion selling as well,” Stone said. 

“Unfortunately yes, and this needs to be shut down or at least mitigate whatever she’s intending to do,” Jenkins confirmed with a look that suggested he was none too pleased about this development. “Morgan is extremely dangerous. I’ve not heard of her whereabouts in at least a century, so I don’t know what she’s planning, but it must be big enough to jump on the Library’s radar.” 

“Should we wait for Flynn and Colonel Baird?” Cassandra asked, glancing to the other LiTs. Ezekiel gave a look of disapproval, but Stone looked more apprehensive. 

“Regardless whether you want to wait, it would be wise to do some research before going back there,” Jenkins suggested, pointing up above them. “What the Library has of magical literature on European magical practices will be upstairs. While you do that, I want to make sure this is the potion I think it is, and mix some common antidotes and cancelling potions as I have the feeling they will come in handy.” 

“Can we actually take her out?” Stone asked, not thinking highly of their chances against her. 

“Oh no, Morgan’s about as powerful as it comes. We’ll only be a minor setback to her, but as long as that setback saves people, then we will have done some good,” Jenkins answered, a faint, pitying smile on his face. “I suggest finding safe ways to dismantle activated circles, potential locations for wherever they are summoning things from, other things they may summon, and so forth.” With that, Jenkins nodded to the LiTs and strode through the double doors to his lab. 

“I’m gonna look over this notebook we got, try to make some more notes of my own, though I’ll make sure to be more readable,” Cassandra declared, collecting the notebook and her own notebook that had been sitting nearby on the table. 

“Guess that means we’re stuck on reading duty,” Stone said, lightly whacking Ezekiel in the arm before he walked over to the desk he had claimed as soon as he arrived at the Annex to grab his own well-used notebook and a pencil. Cassandra had already settled in at the main table, busy writing something down. 

It turned out the Library had a lot on European magic, a whole bookcase-full in fact. “Uh, I guess I’ll take the bottom three shelves, and you can look through the top three,” Ezekiel suggested, squatting. 

“Sounds like a plan,” Stone replied, pulling a book out from from the shelf above Ezekiel’s head. “I think we’ll be here for awhile.” Ezekiel had grabbed an old looking book and sat with his back against the shelf, next to the balcony railing. Stone sat down next to him, balancing his book on his left leg and his notebook on the right, flipping through the first few pages, but his mind drifted back to the club. “So what was that face back in the club?” 

“What?” Ezekiel glanced up from his tome, eyes squinting slightly in confusion. 

“You know, that face you made when you begged me to not sock the dude to get him away from Cassandra,” Stone said, tilting his head down slightly. “I’ve seen a fair few of your faces by now, this was new.” 

Ezekiel opened his mouth, closed it for a second while he reconsidered his statement, then spoke. “Am I not allowed to show concern about you getting thrown out by the bouncer while we were in the middle of an important mission?” 

“Sure, but you don’t strike me as one to actually show pure concern like that,” Stone shrugged. “You always joke around or laugh it off or use sarcasm, but you looked at me like I was about to walk into my doom or something.” 

“Maybe you were a little past diffusing jokes,” Ezekiel suggested, turning the conversation back on him. “To me anyway you seemed really aggressive, and I needed to stop you before you acted on it.” 

“So you used your manipulation eyes on me?!” Stone retorted, not sure why he felt so worked up. 

“Wha-manipulation eyes…” Ezekiel paused, leaning against the railing and looking down at Cassandra, “did you give him that?” 

“He asked, I answered with the information I had available,” Cassandra replied loudly. 

Ezekiel sighed and leaned back against the bookcase. “Look, yeah, I know how to manipulate people, that’s old news. I didn’t want you getting in a fight, making a scene, getting hurt, so I used what I thought was the better of my two options,” he explained, suddenly finding the top of the bookshelf across from them very interesting. 

“Other option?” Stone inquired, raising an eyebrow at him. 

Ezekiel looked back at him, and Stone swore he saw a faint blush on Ezekiel’s face. “Uh, well, I mean right after your little scene with Asshole, I thought I could, um, shock you like you did me.” 

“I wasn’t actin’,” Stone mumbled under his breath, looking back down at his still empty notebook. 

Ezekiel wasn’t letting him escape, eyebrows raised in curiosity. “You weren’t?” he asked, feigning ignorance. 

“Uh, I mean, well,” Stone stuttered, suddenly flustered at Ezekiel’s attention. Ezekiel couldn’t help but laugh at him a little. 

“Don’t worry, I know you’re the jealous type,” Ezekiel added. Stone started to object but Ezekiel cut him off. “It was easy enough to notice when you rescued Cassandra.” 

“Am I not allowed to care about the well-being of my friends?” Stone retorted, throwing Ezekiel’s earlier statement back onto him. 

“Uh, sure, but you’re the one that not once, but twice, asserted we were ‘yours’ to defend us,” Ezekiel replied. Stone bit back his comment; Ezekiel decided to get in some banter. “I totally understand why you’d want us for yourself, we’re both _super hot_.” 

“You’re right,” Stone said with a straight face, besides the slight raise of his eyebrows. From down below Cassandra choked on something, coughs echoing through the Annex. Ezekiel was just as caught off guard, mouth hanging slightly open. Stone shrugged, pokerface broken as he snickered a bit, unconsciously running a hand through his hair. “It’s not like I could deny it, especially when we first met. I figured it was pretty obvious.” 

“Um, well, I didn’t know you felt that way,” Ezekiel stammered, not sure how to respond. 

“I had my suspicions,” Cassandra called up to the balcony, now recovered from her cough attack. 

“Ya know ya don’t have to yell, ya can just come up here,” Stone called back to her. The squeal of a stool sliding on polished floor, along with the patters of what sounded like bare feet, signaled Cassandra’s hasty ascent to the balcony. Within a few moments she appeared at the top of the stairs looking the same as she had been when they went up, albeit lacking her boots. For a moment she looked quite giddy, but Stone’s glimpse behind the personality he normally saw faded as quickly as she had ascended the stairs. He saw her and Ezekiel look at each other, full on eye conversation going on. After several seconds of awkward silence, Cassandra eventually broke it. 

“Based off how you acted, and tonight,” Cassandra continued her statement, now a lot less loud and echoing. “I wasn’t for sure, but it felt like a pretty good guess.” 

“You weren’t gonna say anythin’ about it?” Stone asked, glancing from Ezekiel to her. 

“I didn’t to...disrupt...our work-relationship,” Cassandra explained. “You weren’t exactly friendly to us at first, but then you relaxed, and then tonight…” 

“I didn’t actually agree with her, but tonight made me reconsider,” Ezekiel added. 

“Ok, so what does this mean? Are you guys sayin’ you feel the same way?” Stone said. 

“I mean…” Ezekiel started, glancing from Stone to Cassandra and back to Stone. 

“Yes,” Cassandra responded for the both of them. “Though I think we have a very pressing mission and if we’re alive afterwards, then we can figure out whatever this is.” 

“Sounds reasonable,” Stone added, glancing down at the books still open on his lap. Motion in the edge of his vision made Stone look back up; Cassandra closed the distance from where she had been standing near the staircase to them, kneeling down next to Stone. 

“However, that rescue was fun, and I didn’t get a chance to thank you for it,” she said with a smile on her face. Cassandra then leaned in and kissed him, quick but not quite chaste, before pulling back and standing up. 

“Uh, y...you’re welcome,” Stone stammered, smiling back up at her. She gave him a smile back before turning on her heels and descending the staircase. Remembering Ezekiel, Stone looked over at him with a mild look of expectancy. 

“What, are kisses the standard unit of thanks now?” Ezekiel asked with exaggerated exasperation. 

“No, but I figured-” Stone started, thinking he had to explain himself, but Ezekiel cut him off with his own thank you kiss. In the back of Stone’s mind, he wondered if Ezekiel was trying to one-up Cassandra. Ezekiel pulled away before he could think about it any longer. 

“There, happy now?” Ezekiel taunted, smirking at Stone’s mildly dazed look. 

“Yeah, very,” Stone hummed, smile making his eyes squint. “Is that how you’re gonna thank me from now on?” 

“Depends on what I’m thanking you for,” Ezekiel toyed, enjoying himself way too much. 

“Before you two end up making out up there, can you at least find some useful things so we can prevent the potential destruction of the lower portion of New York City?” Cassandra called, annoyance mixed with amusement in her voice. 

“Fiiinnnee,” Ezekiel sighed dramatically at the ceiling. He then winked at Stone, who got considerably more flustered by it than he should have, and resumed reading the book in his lap. Stone wasn’t exactly focused on his work now, but he figured with that looming promise, he could find something useful in the bookcase of information at their disposal.

**Author's Note:**

> So in terms of the outfits, I couldn’t really think of anything so I opted for the Club Effigy outfits mostly for both Stone and Ezekiel. For Cassandra I modified hers to match her edgier personality she has in this au. Also, the club is fictional, that I know of it doesn't exist. 
> 
> I intended for the focus to be the jassekiel, however my brain really liked the plot I had and went wild with it, so much for that I guess. Though if you’ve read my other works, it’s fairly obvious that I do this a lot. I have no clue if the plot regarding Morgan le Fey will get resolved, I didn't really write with a resolution in mind, but who knows what I'll end up writing over the summer.


End file.
